Hailing from the ponds,
marshes, creeks, streams, lakes, and rivers are North America's finest turtles,
the painteds, sliders, cooters, chickens, maps and diamondbacks. In nature,
most reside in calm water, with soft bottoms and an abundance of aquatic
vegetation, exceptions are the riverine maps, whose primary aquatic residence
are the slow to moderate moving streams and rivers and the diamondback terrapins
that inhabit saltwater marshes. All are avid baskers, finding rocks or floating
logs, to maintain proper thermoregulation. They are animals with healthy
appetites; all are increasingly more herbivorous with age except for the maps
and diamondbacks that are more carnivorous throughout their lives.

Considered by many to be the hardiest of the worlds turtle species, North
American turtles require a few simple requirements to be successfully maintained
in captivity. I will let you in on the secret that expert herpetologists know
about maintaining any animal in captivity; the key is to study the natural
habitat the animal comes from and trying to duplicate it to the best of your
ability.

All
of these N. American aquatic species are excellent swimmers so water depth is
not as critical a factor as with species that do not swim well. A depth of 10"
up to 30" would be fine for adult turtles. Water quality on the other hand is
very important (* remember, the more water volume, the more leeway for problems
with water quality). Many problems with aquatic turtles can be adverted if one
spends a little time and money designing and purchasing an adequate filtration
system for your pets.

Internal filters with submersible pumps are less expensive, and easier to
install, but are less efficient and need to be cleaned more often then the more
expensive, more detailed to design, but incredibly more efficient, external
canister or wet-dry filters. To review the pros and cons of today's filtration
options are beyond the scope of this article, remember though some principles,
turtles are messy animals, more so than fish, therefore, the focus should be on
speed of pumps for water turnover through the filters and a design that
incorporates an efficient and easily cleaned mechanical filter. If installation
knowledge and finances exist, I would recommend a high speed little giant
external pump driving the turtle water through a
Lifeguard™ micron, mechanical filter module into a second canister designed to
hold the biological filter media and carbon chemical filter.

These turtles thermoregulate by leaving the safety of the water to dry out under
the midday sun. Therefore, we will need to create a basking site surrounded by
water in the turtles tank. Concrete cinder blocks make a great basking area.
First, they are tall and easy to design a dry area in a large depth tank.
Second, the animals use the little caves they are designed with as secure homes.
And last, they are inexpensive.

To
reproduce the effects of the sun, suspend a reflector light (Clip on kind with
metal reflector from Home Depot $ 5.99) approximately 12" over the basking rocks
or log and make sure the bulbs output can increase the heat on the basking site
to 85 to 90 degrees. Just lay a thermometer down on the rock under the heat
lamp and check. No need to worry, your hard shelled friend will move away from
the heat source if it is uncomfortably hot. Additional fluorescent lighting
with UV-b, Vitalights™, Reptisun™ bulbs etc. are an option for those that
believe the turtles will benefit from such exposure. My personal experience has
been breeding and raising the young to adulthood without the use of these
fluorescent lights, but the option is yours. If preferred to this lighting arrangement a Mercury vapor bulb may be used that fulfills all requirements.

Last, but not least -- food. Be careful not to overfeed you aquatic pets. I
recommend only feeding 2 to 3 times a week for adult turtles. Most of the above
species will consume vegetables, greens such as endive, romaine
lettuce,
dandelion, carrots, zucchini and any aquatic vegetation, i.e. anachris,
vallisneria, water lettuce, water hyacinth, etc. Please note that if
feeding high oxalic acid foods such as spinach or beet greens that this should
only be as a very small part of a varied diet. They will also consume insects,
worms, fish etc...As well as the many commercially prepared turtle diets that
exist on the market today. For the maps and diamondbacks, stick with the
non-vegetable type foods, they are more "meat and potatoes" type turtles. Key
to turtle health is variety. Try different foods and feed a variety of them.

It should be noted
that turtle and tortoise care research is ongoing. As new information becomes
available we share this on the World Chelonian Trust web site at
www.chelonia.org. Serious keepers find it to be a benefit to have the
support of others who keep these species. Care is discussed in our free online
email community, which may be joined from the web address above. Please contact
us about the many benefits of becoming a member of the World Chelonian Trust.